Saddle-Node Bifurcation of Periodic Orbits for a Delay Differential Equation

Abstract

We consider the scalar delay differential equation $$ \dot{x}(t)=-x(t)+f_{K}(x(t-1)) $$ with a nondecreasing feedback function $f_{K}$ depending on a parameter $K$, and we verify that a saddle-node bifurcation of periodic orbits takes place as $K$ varies. The nonlinearity $f_{K}$ is chosen so that it has two unstable fixed points (hence the dynamical system has two unstable equilibria), and these fixed points remain bounded away from each other as $K$ changes. The generated periodic orbits are of large amplitude in the sense that they oscillate about both unstable fixed points of $f_{K}$.